Manufacturing method for silicon carbide semiconductor device

ABSTRACT

In a method of manufacturing a silicon carbide semiconductor device having a JFET, after forming a second concave portion configuring a second mesa portion, a thickness of a source region is detected by observing a pn junction between the source region and a first gate region exposed by the second concave portion. Selective etching is conducted on the basis of the detection result to form a first concave portion deeper than the thickness of the source region and configuring a first mesa portion inside of an outer peripheral region in an outer periphery of a cell region, and to make the second concave portion deeper than the second gate region.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present disclosure is based on Japanese Patent Application No.2012-114739 filed on May 18, 2012, the disclosures of which areincorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a method for manufacturing a siliconcarbide (SiC) semiconductor device having a junction field effecttransistor (JFET) of a trench structure.

BACKGROUND ART

PTL 1 discloses an SiC semiconductor device having a JFET with a trenchstructure. The JFET is formed as follows.

After an n⁻ type drift layer, a p⁺ type first gate region, and an n⁺type source region have been formed on an n⁺ type SiC substrate in thestated order, a trench that penetrates through those regions is formed.Then, an n⁻ type channel layer and a p⁺ type second gate region areallowed to epitaxially grow within the trench, and embedded within thetrench. Thereafter, a substrate surface is planarized, and unnecessaryportions of the n⁻ type channel layer and the p⁺ type second gate regionare removed to expose the n⁺ type source region. Subsequently, thesubstrate surface is etched with the use of a mask for exposing an outerperipheral region that surrounds a cell region in which the JFET isconfigured. The n⁺ type source region is removed in the outer peripheralregion, and a first concave portion is formed in the outer peripheralregion to form a first mesa portion.

Further, the substrate surface is etched with the use of a mask forexposing an outer edge of the first mesa portion in the outer peripheralregion, the p⁺ type first gate region is further removed, and a secondconcave portion is formed within the first concave portion to form asecond mesa portion. Thereafter, after a p type surface electric fieldrelaxation (resurf) layer has been formed at a boundary position betweena side surface and a bottom surface of the second concave portion, orion implantation for forming a p type guard ring layer is conducted onthe bottom surface of the second concave portion, the bottom surface ofthe second concave portion is activated through a heat treatment. Inaddition, the JFET disclosed in PTL 1 is formed through a process offorming an interlayer insulating film on a substrate front surface side,a process of forming a gate electrode and a source electrode, and aprocess of forming a drain electrode on a substrate rear surface side.

CITATION LIST Patent Literature

-   PTL 1: JP-A-2010-34381 (corresponding to US 2010/0025693 A1)

SUMMARY OF INVENTION Technical Problem

However, when the substrate surface is planarized after the n⁻ typechannel layer and the p⁺ type second gate region have epitaxially grownwithin the trench, the removal amount of the n⁺ type source region inthe planarizing process varies in the existing technique. Because athickness of the residual n⁺ type source region is small, it isdifficult to grasp an actual removal amount by optical evaluation usingFourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). For that reason, theremoval amount is grasped according to a difference between thesubstrate thicknesses before and after planarization in the presentcircumstances, but precision higher than ±0.5 μm level cannot beobtained.

For that reason, the removal of the n⁺ type source region becomes largerthan a desired set value, and the thickness of the p⁺ type first gateregion located in a lower layer of the first mesa portion may be thinnedor eliminated when forming the first concave portion for forming thefirst mesa portion. This is one of causes of reduction in an elementbreakdown voltage.

In view of the above, an object of the present disclosure is to providea method of manufacturing an SIC semiconductor device, which can inhibita thickness of a first gate region from being unnecessarily thinned, oreliminated.

Solution to Problem

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided amethod of manufacturing a silicon carbide semiconductor device forforming a JFET in a cell region of a semiconductor substrate, andforming a first concave portion that configures a first mesa portion inan outer periphery of the cell region, and a second concave portion thatconfigures a second mesa portion in an outer peripheral position of thecell region than a stepped portion of the first mesa portion within thefirst concave portion.

In the method of manufacturing the silicon carbide semiconductor device,the semiconductor substrate is prepared. The semiconductor substrateincludes a first conductivity type substrate that is made of siliconcarbide, a drift layer of a first conductivity type that is formed onthe first conductivity type substrate by epitaxial growth, a first gateregion of a second conductivity type that is formed on the drift layerby the epitaxial growth, and a source region of the first conductivitytype that is formed on the first gate region by the epitaxial growth orion implantation.

A strip-like trench that penetrates through the source region and thefirst gate region, and reaches the drift layer with one direction as alongitudinal direction is formed, a channel layer of the firstconductivity type is formed on an inner wall of the trench by epitaxialgrowth, a second gate region of the second conductivity type is formedon the channel layer by epitaxial growth, and the channel layer and thesecond gate region are planarized to expose the source region.

After the planarizing, the second concave portion having a depth deeperthan the source region, and as deep as a boundary portion between thesource region and the first gate region is exposed is formed in an outerperipheral region surrounding a cell region, with a region in which thetrench is formed as the cell region in which the JFET is configured, byconducting selective etching.

After forming the second concave portion, a thickness of the sourceregion is detected by observing a pn junction between the source regionand the first gate region exposed by the second concave portion.Selective etching is conducted on the basis of the detection result, thefirst concave portion deeper than the thickness of the source region isformed inside of the outer peripheral region in an outer periphery ofthe cell region, and the second concave portion is made deeper than thesecond gate region.

After forming an interlayer insulating film on surfaces of the secondgate region, the channel region, and the source region, contact holesare formed in the interlayer insulating film, and a gate electrodeconnected to at least one of the first gate region and the second gateregion, and a source electrode connected to the source region are formedthrough the contact holes. A drain electrode is formed on a rear surfaceof the first conductivity type substrate.

In the method of manufacturing the silicon carbide semiconductor device,the first concave portion configuring the first mesa portion is formedafter the second concave portion configuring the second mesa portion hasbeen formed. As a result, the thickness of the source region can bedetected by the SEM observation on the basis of the pn junction betweenthe source region and the first gate region due to the stepped portionof the second concave portion before the selective etching for formingthe first concave portion. Therefore, the etching can be preciselyconducted by the degree of thickness of the source region when formingthe first concave portion, and the etching depth can be preciselycontrolled. For that reason, the first gate region can be prevented frombeing unnecessarily thinned, or eliminated.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the presentdisclosure will become more apparent from the following detaileddescription made with reference to the accompanying drawings. In thedrawings:

FIG. 1 is a top layout view of an SiC semiconductor device according toa first embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the SiC semiconductor device takenalong a line II-II in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3A is a cross-sectional view partially illustrating a process ofmanufacturing the SiC semiconductor device;

FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view partially illustrating the process ofmanufacturing the SiC semiconductor device;

FIG. 3C is a cross-sectional view partially illustrating the process ofmanufacturing the SiC semiconductor device;

FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional view partially illustrating the process ofmanufacturing the SiC semiconductor device;

FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view partially illustrating the process ofmanufacturing the SiC semiconductor device; and

FIG. 4C is a cross-sectional view partially illustrating the process ofmanufacturing the SiC semiconductor device.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be describedwith reference to the drawings. In the following respective embodiments,parts identical with or equivalent to each other are denoted by the samesymbols for description.

First Embodiment

A first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. Asillustrated in FIG. 1, an SiC semiconductor device is structured toinclude a cell region R1, an electric field relaxation region R2, and anouter peripheral region R3. A JFET is formed in the cell region R1. Thecell region R1 has a square shape whose corners are rounded in a topshape. The electric field relaxation region R2 functions to relaxelectric field concentration in an outer peripheral region of the cellregion R1. The electric field relaxation region R2 is arranged betweenthe cell region R1 and the outer peripheral region R3, and has a squareframe shape whose corners are rounded so as to surround the periphery ofthe cell region R1. The outer peripheral region R3 extensively spreadsand terminates an electric field extending from the cell region R1 on anouter peripheral side of the SiC semiconductor device, to therebyprovide a high breakdown voltage. The outer peripheral region R3 has asquare frame shape whose corners are rounded so as to surround theperiphery of the electric field relaxation region R2 in a top shape.

Specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the SiC semiconductor deviceincludes an n⁺ type substrate (substrate) 1, an n⁻ type drift layer(first semiconductor layer) 2, a p⁺ type layer (second semiconductorlayer) 3, and an n⁺ type layer (third semiconductor layer) 4. The n⁺type substrate 1 has an impurity concentration equal to or higher than,for example, 1×10¹⁹ cm⁻³. The n⁻ type drift layer 2 has an impurityconcentration lower than the n⁺ type substrate 1, for example, 1×10¹⁵ to5×10¹⁸ cm⁻³. The p⁺ type layer 3 has an impurity concentration of, forexample, 1×10¹⁸ to 5×10¹⁹ cm⁻³. The n⁺ type layer 4 has an impurityconcentration higher than the n⁻ type drift layer 2, for example, 1×10¹⁸to 5×10²⁰ cm⁻³. The n⁺ type substrate 1, the n⁻ type drift layer 2, thep⁺ type layer 3, and the n⁺ type layer 4 are each made of SiC, andconfigure a semiconductor substrate 5. As illustrated in FIG. 1, acenter portion of the semiconductor substrate 5 forms the cell regionR1, and the electric field relaxation region R2 and the outer peripheralregion R3 are arranged with the cell region R1 as a center in the statedorder.

Also, as illustrated in FIG. 2, a trench 7 a that penetrates through then⁺ type layer 4 and the p⁺ type layer 3, and reaches the n type driftlayer 2 is formed in a main surface side of the semiconductor substrate5 in the cell region R1. The trench 7 a extends in a strip with onedirection (a direction perpendicular to a paper plane in the presentembodiment) on a substrate plane as a longitudinal direction. An n⁻ typelayer (first conductivity type layer) 8, and a p⁺ type layer (secondconductivity type layer) 9 are formed in the stated order so as to beembedded in the trench 7 a. The n⁻ type layer 8 has a thickness of, forexample, 0.1 to 0.5 μm, and an impurity concentration of 1.0×10¹⁶ to1.0×10¹⁸ cm⁻³. The p⁺ type layer 9 has an impurity concentration of1×10¹⁸ to 5×10²⁰ cm⁻³. A first gate region 3 a is formed by the p⁺ typelayer 3, a second gate region 9 a is formed by the p⁺ type layer 9, ann⁺ type source region 4 a is formed by the n⁺ type layer 4, and an n⁻type channel layer 8 a is formed by the n⁻ type layer 8.

The impurity concentrations of the an n⁻ type channel layer 8 a and thefirst and second gate regions 3 a and 9 a, and the thickness of the n⁻type channel layer 8 a are set according to an operating mode of theJFET, and in the present embodiment, the JFET is set to operate in anormally off manner.

Also, a gate electrode 11 and a source electrode 12 are formed over thesurfaces of the n⁺ type layer 4, the n⁻ type layer 8, and the p⁺ typelayer 9 through an interlayer insulating film 10. The gate electrode 11is electrically connected to the second gate region 9 a through acontact hole 10 a formed in the interlayer insulating film 10, and alsoelectrically connected to the first gate region 3 a in anothercross-section different from that of FIG. 2. The source electrode 12 iselectrically connected to the n⁺ type source region 4 a through acontact hole 10 b formed in the interlayer insulating film 10. The gateelectrode 11 is made of, for example, Al which is a material thatenables an ohmic contact with the p⁺ type layer, and Ni laminated on Al.The source electrode 12 is made of, for example, Ni.

A drain electrode 13 electrically connected to an overall rear surfaceof the n⁺ type substrate 1 is formed on a rear surface of thesemiconductor substrate 5. The JFET is formed with the above structure,and the cell region R1 in which plural JFETs are collected in a cell isformed.

Also, a first concave portion 18 from which the n⁺ type layer 4 of thesemiconductor substrate 5 is removed by etching is formed in theelectric field relaxation region R2. For that reason, a boundary portionof the electric field relaxation region R2 with the cell region R1 formsa first mesa portion in which a stepped portion is formed, and the p⁺type layer 3 is exposed.

A trench 7 b that reaches the n⁻ type drift layer 2 so as to dividebetween the cell region R1 and the outer peripheral region R3 (surroundthe periphery of the cell region R1 in the present embodiment) is formedon the cell region R1 side of the electric field relaxation region R2.The n⁻ type layer 8 and the p⁺ type layer 9 are arranged to be embeddedin the trench 7 b. The n type layer 8 and the p⁺ type layer 9 in theelectric field relaxation region R2 function as an n type region 8 b anda p type region 9 b configuring a pn separation part. FIG. 2 illustratesa structure in which only one trench 7 b is formed to provide one pnseparation part. Alternatively, plural trenches 7 b may beconcentrically arranged to surround the cell region R1 to provide pluralpn separation parts.

Also, a p⁻ type resurf layer 14 extends from the stepped portion formingthe boundary portion of the electric field relaxation region R2 with theouter peripheral region R3 into the outer peripheral region R3 whichwill be described later. The p⁻ type resurf layer 14 is 1.0×10¹⁷ to5.0×10¹⁷ cm⁻³ in the p type impurity concentration. In the presentembodiment, the stepped portion forming the boundary portion between theelectric field relaxation region R2 and the outer peripheral region R3has an inclined mesa shape, and the p⁻ type resurf layer 14 extends overthe overall surface of the stepped portion, resulting in a structurewhere the p⁺ type layer 3 and the p⁻ type resurf layer 14 are connectedto each other. A surge drawing electrode 15 is disposed in an outerperiphery (an outer peripheral side of the outermost peripheral trenchif the plural trenches 7 b are provided) of the trench 7 b so as to comein contact with a surface of the p⁺ type layer 3 through a contact hole10 c formed in the interlayer insulating film 10.

Also, a second concave portion 19 from which the p⁺ type layer 3 and then⁺ type layer 4 of the semiconductor substrate 5 are removed by etchingis formed in the outer peripheral region R3. For that reason, in theouter peripheral region R3, the n⁻ type drift layer 2 is exposed, andthe boundary portion between the electric field relaxation region R2 andthe outer peripheral region R3 forms the stepped portion as a secondmesa portion. In a surface layer portion of the n⁻ type drift layer 2,the above-described p⁻ type resurf layer 14 extends toward the outerperipheral side of the cell region R1. Further, an n⁺ type layer 16 isformed to surround an outer periphery of the p⁻ type resurf layer 14,and an equipotential ring (EQR) electrode 17 is disposed to beelectrically connected to the n⁺ type layer 16 through a contact hole 10d formed in the interlayer insulating film 10.

The SiC semiconductor device according to the present embodiment isconfigured with the above structure. Subsequently, a description will begiven of the operation of the JFET provided in the cell region R1 of theSiC semiconductor device configured as described above.

In the present embodiment, the JFET operates in a normally off manner.First, in a state before a gate voltage is applied to the first gateregion 3 a and the second gate region 9 a, the n⁻ type channel layer 8 apinches off by a depletion layer extending from both of the first gateregion 3 a and the second gate region 9 a to the n⁻ type channel layer 8a. For that reason, no channel region is set, and no current flowsbetween the source and the drain. On the other hand, when the gatevoltage is applied to the first gate region 3 a and the second gateregion 9 a, the amount of extension of the depletion layer extendingfrom both of the first and second gate regions 3 a and 9 a toward the n⁻type channel layer 8 a side is controlled to reduce the amount ofextension of depletion layer extending to the n″ type channel layer 8 a.For that reason, the channel region is set, and the current flowsbetween the source and the drain. When the application of the gatevoltage to the first gate region 3 a and the second gate region 9 astops, the JFET turns off.

Also, when surge is generated, an avalanche breakdown is generated inthe p⁻ type resurf layer 14, a surge current flows along a current pathillustrated in FIG. 1, and the surge current can be drawn from the surgedrawing electrode 15 side.

In the above SiC semiconductor device, the element separation betweenthe cell region R1 and the outer peripheral region R3 is conducted bythe pn separation portion having the p type region 9 b and the n typeregion 8 b provided in the electric field relaxation region R2. For thatreason, compared with a case where an oxide film is arranged within thetrench to conduct the element separation, because there is no breakdownof the oxide film for element separation, a breakdown voltage betweenthe cell region R1 in which the JFET is formed and the outer peripheralregion R3 can be improved.

Also, because the p type resurf layer 14 extends to the stepped portionforming the boundary portion between the electric field relaxationregion R2 and the outer peripheral region R3, an electric field appliedto the interlayer insulating film 10 formed on the surface of the p⁻type resurf layer 14 can be reduced. For that reason, the breakdowncaused by the electric field concentration of the interlayer insulatingfilm 10 can be also suppressed.

Subsequently, a description will be given of a process of manufacturingthe SiC semiconductor device illustrated in FIG. 1 with reference tomanufacturing process diagrams of FIGS. 3A to 4C.

First, in a process illustrated in FIG. 3A, the semiconductor substrate5 is prepared in which the n⁻ type drift layer 2 having the impurityconcentration of, for example, 1×10¹⁵ to 5×10¹⁶ cm⁻³, the p⁺ type layer3 having the impurity concentration of, for example, 1×10¹⁸ to 5×10¹⁹cm⁻³, and the n⁺ type layer 4 having the impurity concentration of, forexample, 1×10¹⁸ to 5×10²⁰ cm⁻³ are allowed to epitaxially grow on the n⁺type substrate 1 having the impurity concentration of, for example,1×10¹⁶ cm⁻³ or higher.

In a process illustrated in FIG. 3B, after a mask not shown has beenarranged on the surface of the semiconductor substrate 5, regions inwhich the trench 7 a of the cell region R1, and the trench 7 b of theelectric field relaxation region R2 are to be formed are opened. Inaddition, etching is conducted with the use of the mask to form thetrenches 7 a and 7 b that penetrate through the n⁺ type layer 4 and thep⁺ type layer 3, and reach the n⁻ type drift layer 2 at the same time.With the above process, the p⁺ type layer 3 and the n⁺ type layer 4 aredivided into plural pieces by the trench 7 a, and the first gate region3 a and the n⁺ type source region 4 a are formed by the p⁺ type layer 3and the n⁺ type layer 4 located on the side surface of the trench 7.Thereafter, the mask is removed.

In a process illustrated in FIG. 3C, the n⁻ type layer 8 and the p⁺ typelayer 9 are allowed to epitaxially grow, and laminated on the surface ofthe semiconductor substrate 5 in the stated order so as to be embeddedwithin the trenches 7 a and 7 b. In addition, the n⁻ type layer 8 andthe p⁺ type layer 9 are left only within the trenches 7 a and 7 b toexpose the surface of the n⁺ type layer 4 through the planarizingprocess using grinding or chemical mechanical polishing (CMP). With theabove process, then type channel layer 8 a and the second gate region 9a can be formed within the trench 7 a of the cell region R1, and the pnjunction of the n type region 8 b and the p type region 9 b can beformed within the trench 7 b of the electric field relaxation region R2.

In a process illustrated in FIG. 4A, a mask that covers the cell regionR1 and the electric field relaxation region R2 of the semiconductorsubstrate 5 is arranged, and the n⁺ type layer 4 and the p⁺ type layer 3are removed in the outer peripheral region R3 by etching. For example,anisotropic etching is conducted in a mixed gas atmosphere of SF₆, O₂,and Ar. With the above process, the second concave portion 19 is formedin the outer peripheral region R3 to expose the p⁺ type layer 3, and theboundary portion between the electric field relaxation region R2 and theouter peripheral region R3 forms the stepped portion as the second mesaportion. In this situation, it is preferable that the mesa portion ofthe boundary portion between the electric field relaxation region R2 andthe outer peripheral region R3 is tapered. For example, the tapered mesaportion can be formed by adjusting a condition of the anisotropicetching, or conducting the anisotropic etching using a plane orientationdependence, or isotropic etching.

Thereafter, sacrificial oxidation or chemical dry etching is implementedfor removal of the etching damage layer as needed. The etching damagelayer is formed in a state where the surface is rough by etching forforming the second concave portion 19. The surface roughness can bereduced by removal of the etching damage layer. Specifically, theetching damage layer can be easily removed by the sacrificial oxidation,and the etching damage layer can be removed in a shorter time by thechemical dry etching.

In a process illustrated in FIG. 4B, a mask not shown that covers thecell region R1 of the semiconductor substrate 5 is arranged, and etchingis conducted in the electric field relaxation region R2 and the outerperipheral region R3 as deep as the thickness of the n⁺ type layer 4 canbe removed. For example, anisotropic etching is conducted in a mixed gasatmosphere of SF₆, O₂, and Ar. With the above process, the first concaveportion 18 is formed in the electric field relaxation region R2, thesurface of the p⁺ type layer 3 is exposed, the second concave portion 19is made deeper in the outer peripheral region R3 whereby the step of thesecond mesa portion is displaced to a deeper position, and the n⁻ typedrift layer 2 is exposed. In addition, the boundary portion between thecell region R1 and the electric field relaxation region R2 forms thestepped portion as the first mesa portion.

In the conventional art, because the process illustrated in FIG. 4A isconducted after the process illustrated in FIG. 4B, there is noreference for grasping an etching depth at the time of etching forforming the first concave portion 18. However, as in the presentembodiment, the process illustrated in FIG. 4B is implemented after theprocess illustrated in FIG. 4A so that the second concave portion 19 hasalready been formed at the time of etching for forming the first concaveportion 18. For that reason, when the process of FIG. 4A is conducted,the pn junction between the p⁺ type layer 3 and the n⁺ type layer 4 ispresent in the stepped portion of the boundary portion between theelectric field relaxation region R2 and the outer peripheral region R3.The thickness of the n⁺ type layer 4 can be detected by observing thatportion through SEM. Therefore, in the process illustrated in FIG. 4B,because the etching depth can be accurately controlled, the p⁺ typelayer 3 can be prevented from being too thinned, or eliminated.

In particular, if the etching damage layer is removed to reduce thesurface roughness after the process illustrated in FIG. 4A describedabove, since the surface state becomes excellent, the pn junction can beeasily evaluated by the SEM observation.

In a process illustrated in FIG. 4C, a mask that opens in a region ofthe surface of the semiconductor substrate 5 in which the p⁻ type resurflayer 14 is to be formed is arranged, and p type impurities areion-implanted. If the stepped portion of the boundary portion betweenthe electric field relaxation region R2 and the outer peripheral regionR3 is tapered as described above, the p type impurities can be alsoimplanted into the stepped portion by only ion implantation from adirection perpendicular to the substrate. Even if the stepped portion ofthe boundary portion between the electric field relaxation region R2 andthe outer peripheral region R3 is perpendicular to the surface of thesemiconductor substrate 5, if the p type impurities are obliquelyion-implanted, the p type impurities can be implanted even in thestepped portion.

Subsequently, after the mask used previously has been removed, a maskthat opens in a region where the n⁺ type layer 16 is to be formed isarranged, and n type impurities are ion-implanted. In addition, a heattreatment is conducted to activate the implanted ions to form the p typeresurf layer 14 and the n⁺ type layer 16.

Thereafter, although not shown, after the interlayer insulating film 10has been formed, the contact holes 10 a to 10 d are formed bypatterning. Also, after metal films made of Al that enables an ohmiccontact with the p type SiC, and Ni that enables an ohmic contact withthe n type SiC have been formed, the metal films are patterned to formthe gate electrode 11, the source electrode 12, the surge drawingelectrode 15, and the equipotential ring electrode 17. In addition, theSiC semiconductor device according to the present embodiment iscompleted through a process of forming the drain electrode 13.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the first concave portion18 configuring the first mesa portion is formed after the second concaveportion 19 configuring the second mesa portion has been formed. As aresult, the thickness of the n⁺ type layer 4 can be detected by the SEMobservation on the basis of the pn junction between the p⁺ type layer 3and the n⁺ type layer 4 in the stepped portion of the boundary portionbetween the electric field relaxation region R2 and the outer peripheralregion R3 due to the second concave portion 19 before the selectiveetching for forming the first concave portion 18. Therefore, the etchingcan be precisely conducted by the degree of thickness of the n⁺ typelayer 4 when forming the first concave portion 18, and the etching depthcan be precisely controlled. For that reason, the p⁺ type layer 3 forforming the first gate region 3 a can be prevented from beingunnecessarily thinned, or eliminated.

Also, after the second mesa portion has been formed by the formation ofthe second concave portion 19, the first mesa portion is formed with theformation of the first concave portion 18. For that reason, corners onthe stepped portion of the second concave portion 19 are rounded byetching for forming the first concave portion 18. For that reason, theelectric field concentration on the stepped portion can be reduced, andthe interlayer insulating film 10 formed on the stepped portion can beeffectively inhibited from being broken down by the electric fieldconcentration.

Second Embodiment

A second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. In thepresent embodiment, the configuration of the leading ends of the trench7 a in the first embodiment is changed, and other configurations areidentical with those in the first embodiment, and therefore only partsdifferent from those in the first embodiment will be described.

In the present embodiment, in the SiC semiconductor device according tothe first embodiment, the first concave portion 18 is formed to removethe n⁺ type source region 4 a in the vicinity of both the leading endsof the trench 7 a for forming the JFET. That is, the trench 7 aillustrated in FIG. 2 is laid out in a strip with a directionperpendicular to the paper plane as the longitudinal direction, and thefirst concave portion 18 extends to an inside of the trench 7 a onpositions of both the leading ends. With the above structure, the JFETstructure is not formed on the leading ends of the trench 7 a.

The trench 7 a is laid out in the strip as described above, but thethickness of the n⁻ type layer 8 becomes thicker than the side wallsurface configuring long sides of the trench in both of the leadingends, due to migration at the time of epitaxial growth. For that reason,thresholds of other portions and the JFET are varied on both of theleading ends of the trench 7 a, the leakage of a drain voltage to thesurface occurs when the gate voltage comes closer to the threshold atthe time of driving the JFET, resulting in such a problem that anexcessive drain current flows to reduce the element breakdown voltage.For that reason, as in the present embodiment, the n⁺ type source region4 a is removed on both of the leading ends of the trench 7 a so that theJFET structure is not formed on those portions. With the abovestructure, because the threshold variation can be prevented, the leakageof the drain voltage to the surface can be prevented, and a reduction inthe element breakdown voltage caused when the excessive drain currentflows can be prevented from being generated.

Also, in this structure, as in the first embodiment, the second concaveportion 19 is formed before the formation of the first concave portion18 for removing the n⁺ type source region 4 a on both of the leadingends of the trench 7 a, as a result of which the thickness of the n⁺type source region 4 a can be grasped by the SEM observation. For thatreason, the etching can be precisely conducted by the degree ofthickness of the n⁺ type source region 4 a when forming the firstconcave portion 18, and the etching depth can be precisely controlled.Hence, the same advantages as those in the first embodiment can beobtained.

Other Embodiments

In the above respective embodiments, a case in which the first gateregion 3 a and the second gate region 9 a have the same potential hasbeen described. Alternatively, those regions may have potentialsdifferent from each other such that the first gate region 3 a has afirst potential, and the second gate region 9 a has a second potential.In this case, the first potential for controlling the first gate region3 a, and the second potential for controlling the second gate region 9 amay change to potentials independent from each other, or only any onepotential can be controlled, and the other potential may be set to GND(source potential). For example, only the first potential forcontrolling the first gate region 3 a may change whereas the secondpotential to be applied to the second gate region 9 a may be fixed toGND.

In the above respective embodiments, a structure in which theequipotential ring electrode 19 is arranged in the outer peripheralregion R3 has been described as an example. Alternatively, a p typeguard ring may be provided. That is, any of various structures known asan outer peripheral high breakdown voltage structure may be formed inthe outer peripheral region R3.

Further, in the above embodiments, the epitaxially grown n⁺ type sourceregion 4 has been described. Alternatively, the n⁺ type source region 4may be formed by ion implantation of n type impurities into the firstgate region 3. Also, in this case, when the ion implantation isconducted so that the n⁺ type source region 4 extends to both of theleading ends of the trench 6, the first concave portion 18 extends toboth of the leading ends of the trench 7 a, thereby being capable ofobtaining the same advantages as those in the second embodiment.

In the above respective embodiments, the JFET of the n-channel type inwhich the channel region is set in the n⁻ type channel layer 8 a hasbeen described as an example. Alternatively, the present disclosure canbe applied to the JFET of a p-channel type in which the conductivitytype of the respective components is reversed.

1. A method of manufacturing a silicon carbide semiconductor device forforming a JFET in a cell region of a semiconductor substrate, andforming a first concave portion that configures a first mesa portion inan outer periphery of the cell region, and a second concave portion thatconfigures a second mesa portion in an outer peripheral position of thecell region than a stepped portion of the first mesa portion within thefirst concave portion, the method comprising: preparing thesemiconductor substrate including a first conductivity type substratemade of silicon carbide, a drift layer of a first conductivity typeformed on the first conductivity type substrate by epitaxial growth, afirst gate region of a second conductivity type formed on the driftlayer by epitaxial growth, and a source region of the first conductivitytype formed on the first gate region by epitaxial growth or ionimplantation; forming a strip-like trench that penetrates through thesource region and the first gate region, and reaches the drift layerwith one direction as a longitudinal direction; forming a channel layerof the first conductivity type on an inner wall of the trench byepitaxial growth; forming a second conductivity type second gate regionon the channel layer by epitaxial growth; planarizing the channel layerand the second gate region to expose the source region; after theplanarizing, forming the second concave portion having a depth deeperthan the source region, and as deep as a boundary portion between thesource region and the first gate region is exposed, in an outerperipheral region surrounding a cell region, with a region in which thetrench is formed as the cell region in which the JFET is configured, byconducting selective etching; after forming the second concave portion,detecting a thickness of the source region by observing a pn junctionbetween the source region and the first gate region exposed by thesecond concave portion, conducting selective etching on the basis of thedetection result to form the first concave portion deeper than thethickness of the source region inside of the outer peripheral region inan outer periphery of the cell region, and to make the second concaveportion deeper than the second gate region; after forming an interlayerinsulating film on surfaces of the second gate region, the channelregion, and the source region, forming contact holes in the interlayerinsulating film, and forming a gate electrode connected to at least oneof the first gate region and the second gate region, and a sourceelectrode connected to the source region through the contact holes; andforming a drain electrode on a rear surface of the first conductivitytype substrate.
 2. The method of manufacturing the silicon carbidesemiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein in the selectiveetching for forming the first concave portion and making the secondconcave portion deeper, the source region, the channel layer, and thesecond gate region on both of leading ends of the trench are removed bythe first concave portion.
 3. The method of manufacturing the siliconcarbide semiconductor device according to claim 1, wherein theobservation of the pn junction is conducted by SEM observation.
 4. Themethod of manufacturing the silicon carbide semiconductor deviceaccording to claim 1, further comprising after conducting the selectiveetching for forming the first concave portion and making the secondconcave portion deeper, forming a second conductivity type resurf layerextending from a side surface to a bottom surface of the second concaveportion within the drift layer.
 5. The method of manufacturing thesilicon carbide semiconductor device according to claim 1, furthercomprising removing an etching damage layer by the selective etching forforming the second concave portion, after forming the second concaveportion and before conducting the selective etching for forming thefirst concave portion and making the second concave portion deeper. 6.The method of manufacturing the silicon carbide semiconductor deviceaccording to claim 5, wherein the removal of the etching damage layerincludes sacrificial oxidation.
 7. The method of manufacturing thesilicon carbide semiconductor device according to claim 5, wherein theremoval of the etching damage layer includes chemical dry etching.